Copy machine feeding means

ABSTRACT

In one form of the invention there is provided a new and improved paper feeding apparatus for photo copying machines and more particularly a paper feeding apparatus for the continuous feeding and copying of computer type continuous paper on flat bed photo copying machines, comprising a main tray assembly for attachment to the underside of a conventional photo copying machine, a paper storing and dispensing tray for attachment to the main tray on one side of a photo copying machine, a drive means situated on the main tray and electrically connected through the machine to move the paper to be copied to and from the copying glass, and a paper receiving tray for receiving the copied paper.

D United States Patent 1191 1111 3,831,829 Kar isek Au 27 1974 [54] COPY MACHINE FEEDING MEANS 3,381,867 5/1968 Konkel 226/76 x [75] In entor: La slav Step an K se 3,682,544 8/1972 Glaser 355/14 Carmgbah Austraha Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles [73] Assignee: Nashua Australia PTY Limited, St. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Kenway & Jenny Leonards, New South Wales, Australia 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: May 14, 1973 In one form of the invention there is provided a new and improved paper feeding apparatus for photo copy [21] Appl' 359664 ing machines and more particularly a paper feeding apparatus for the continuous feeding and copying of [30] Foreign Application Priority Data computer type continuous paper on flat bed photo May 16, 1972 Australia 8966/72 Py g machines, Comprising a main y assembly for attachment to the underside of a conventional 52 us. c1 226/83, 226/134, 226/37 photo copying machme, a P p stormg and p [51] Int. Cl. G03b 1/24 mg y for attachment to the main y on one Side 0f 58 Field 61 Search 226/76, s2, s3, 37, 134; a photo copying machine, a drive means Situated on 355/14 the main tray and electrically connected through the machine to move the paper to be copied to and from [5 References Cited the copying glass, and a paper receiving tray for re- UNITED STATES PATENTS ivmg 5/1951 Schnee 226/82 X 5 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures PATENIEDAUEZT 1914 ,8

sum um 8 FIGS PATENIEDAUBZ 7 mm SHEET 8 OF 8 FIGS COPY MACHINE FEEDING MEANS This invention relates to a new and improved feeding apparatus for photo copying machines and more particularly it relates to apparatus for continuous feeding and copying of computer type paper, on flat bed type photo copying machines.

In many large offices paysheets and other information are recorded on computer paper which is normally stacked in fan-folded relationship. These continuous sheets can be any length, and when very longare difficult to handle when photo copying is desired, particularly when individual photo copies are required of particular sections of the sheet.

The present invention provides a new and improved paper feeding apparatus which will overcome the above difficulties and prove reliable and efficient in operation.

A further aspect of this invention provides such apparatus which may be set to do a specified number of copies of any or each section of the sheet to be copied before automatically moving to the next section to be copied. Other objects will herein become apparent.

It is to be understood that various components of the aforementioned apparatus may be dispensed with, namely the main tray, paper storing and dispensing tray and the paper receiving tray. Further, the paper feeding device may be an integral feature with the photo copying apparatus or as a separate detachable feature as shown by the particular embodiment described.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided apparatus for sequentially feeding paper or the like across the platen glass of a photo copier comprising a housing, drive motor means wherein the output drive of said motor means is coupled via a gearbox arrangement to a drive shaft, drive sprocket means on said drive shaft for engaging perforations in said paper such that when said drive shaft and sprocket means rotate the apparatus feeds the paper to be copied if the perforations in said paper are located on the sprocket means, actuator means in said gearbox to engage the output drive of said motor means with the drive shaft when a present number of copies of a section of the paper have been made by said photo copier whereupon said sprocket means transports a present length of paper across the platen glass and then said motor output drive disengages from the drive shaft thereby operating the photo copier.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a paper feeding apparatus in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2 shows a main tray assembly to be employed in conjunction with the embodiment of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 shows a typical paper dispensing tray which is detachable from the main tray of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a paper receiving tray which is most suitable for receiving computer type fanfold punched edge paper,

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view showing the layout of a copying machine with the items of FIGS. 1 to 4 in position during operation,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the feeder apparatus of FIG. 1,

FIGS. 7 and 8 are part sectional views showing the operation of a preferred means for setting the displace- FIG. 10 is an end elevation of the apparatus of FIG.

I viewed from the gearbox end,

FIG. 11 is the sectional view AA of FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is a sectional view B-B of FIG. 10 with the solenoid energized, and

FIG. 13 is the sectional view C-C of FIG. 10 with the solenoid energized.

The main tray shown in FIG. 2 is of any suitable width and has a length sufficient to pass completely beneath a photo copying machine. Two elongated brackets 8 extend in a direction transverse to the length of the tray, which brackets secure the tray by conventional means such as bolts or clamps to the underside of the photo copying machine. The main tray is particularly characterized by a sliding portion 7 having a width equal to that of the main tray on which sliding portion 7 is mounted the drive means of FIG. 1.

The main tray at all times remains attached to the photo copying machine and when the drive means of the present invention is not required the sliding portion 7 of the tray is retracted to a position under the photo copying machine so avoiding hinderance to an operator. The sliding portion 7 of the tray has a handle attached to its leading edge such that the sliding portion may be pulled out and the main tray so converted to the operable position when copying of continuous paper such as computer paper, is required.

The paper dispensing tray as shown in FIG. 3 is made of any suitable material such as sheet metal or plastic and is conventionally clipped to the end of the main tray at position 10 remote from the sliding portion 7.

The drive means of FIG. 1 comprises a frame having a width similar to that of the main tray of FIG. 2 and a depth sufficient to house the necessary components. The base of the drive means frame is thus located precisely by bracket 11 on the extended sliding portion 7 of the tray. The height of the drive means frame is substantially equal to the distance between the main tray and the photo copying glass. At one end of the frame is located a gear box 1 for regulating the amount of paper which is pulled across the copying glass in a given copying operation. Rotatably attached to the two ends of the drive means frame and extending therebetween at the upper portion thereof is a drive shaft 5, which shaft extends from drive wheel 13 within the gear box 1, and has fixedly attached in spaced apart relationship two drive sprockets 16 enclosed by shrouds 2. The distance between the sprockets 16 may be varied by turning knob 4 situated at the end of the drive means frame remote from the gear box, the knob is adapted to turn lead screw 17 situated within the drive shaft 5 (see FIGS. 6, 7 and 8) and extending substantially the entire length thereof. One sprocket remains in an axially fixed position while the other sprocket is keyed to the lead screw as shown by FIG. 6. Between the two sprockets is situated paper guide 3, which paper guide is slidably located on drive shaft 5 so that it may be conveniently positioned along the shaft 5 to a point midway between the sprockets 16 to thereby support the paper as it is fed by the drive sprockets. The effect of axially depressing and turning the knob 4 (FIGS. 7 and 8) in a clockwise direction is to draw the axially movable sprocket toward the axially fixed sprocket such that when the desired separation to accept a specified width of paper between the sprockets 16 is attained the paper guide may be slidably located midway between the two sprockets. Such sprocket adjustment is desired when papers of different widths are to be copied.

The lower portion of the drive means frame houses an electric motor 22 which motor is connected to an electrical supply through the photo copying machine. To the end of the motors shaft is attached pulley 23 over which a belt, connected to a further pulley 24, runs. The said pulleys are situated at the end of the frame remote from the gear box as shown in FIG. 6. The abovementioned further pulley 24 is rigidly attached to transfer shaft 25 which extends substantially the width of the drive means frame A and terminates in drive gear 19 within the gear box 1, the drive gear 19 being rigidly attached to the transfer shaft.

The gear box 1 is further characterized by a rocker bracket 20 rotatably located about the transfer shaft 25 adjacent the drive gear 19, which rocker bracket has a T-shape configuration as shown by section CC of FIG. such that one of the extremities is attached to s solenoid valve 21, another extremity is attached to idler wheel 18 and the third extremity 33, which forms the upright of the T, is characterized by a pawl adapted for engagement in the teeth of drive wheel 13. The plunger of the solenoid 21 is pivotally attached to an extremity of the rocket bracket below the horizontal plane of the transfer shaft 25. The idler wheel 18 rotatably attached to the rocker bracket 20 above the horizontal plane of the transfer shaft is in constant mesh with drive gear 33.

The motor 22 which is electrically connected to the photo copying machine runs continuously while the photo copying machine is switched on. It follows therefor that the drive gear 19 rigidly attached to the transfer shaft 25, and the idler wheel 18, run continuously. Situated in the gear box directly above the transfer shaft 25 is the drive shaft 5 and drive wheel 13 rigidly attached thereto. Over the extremity of the drive shaft within the gear box is rotatably located a feed control wheel assembly, which assembly comprises a gear wheel 12 adjacent the drive wheel 13, a feed control disc 30 of substantially the same diameter as the drive wheel, the wheel 12 and disc 30 are mounted on a common hub, about the extremity of the common hub and adjacent control disc 13 a spiral return spring 14 is situated. The spiral type return spring 14 is attached at its outer end to the drive means frame and at its inner end to the hub (see FIG. 11).

A rotatable retracting pin assembly is provided, the pin 34 of the assembly 15 forms a stop to prevent the feed control wheel assembly, drive wheel and drive shaft from rotating through more than a predetermined angular displacement. Such prevention is achieved by the retractable pin 34 operating as a stop against spigot 31 attached to the feed control disc 30. A series of holes 35 are provided in the outer wall of the gear box through which the retractable pin 34 may be inserted. All the holes lie on the same radius about the projected center of the drive shaft so allowing the setting of a predetermined angle of rotation before pin 34 contacts spigot 31 to limit the length of paper fed across the copier by drive sprockets l6.

In FIG. 9 there is shown retaining plate 29 which slots over each drive sprocket 16 to retain the punched edges of the paper in contact with the sprocket during paper feed across the copying bed of the photo copier. To insert the paper onto the sprockets the retaining plate is withdrawn by knob 28 from the shroud 2 to a position where locating shaft 36 is engaged by the spring loaded ball 37. The punched edge paper may then be inserted and the retaining plate returned to its operative position against shroud 2.

The operating sequence of the depicted feeding device when coupled to a photo copying machine will now be explained by the following.

Paper feeder (FIG. 1), main tray (FIG. 2), dispensing and receiving trays (FIGS. 3 and 4) are arranged in conjunction with a flat bed photo copying machine as shown in FIG. 5.

The photo copying machine as well as the motor 22 of the feeder via switch 38 are switched on and the leading portions of the paper to be copied are taken from the dispensing tray (FIG. 3), located across the copying glass (see FIG. 5), the perforations at the sides thereof located over the pins of the drive sprockets 16 and retaining plates 29 placed over said sprockets for maintaining the paper on the said pins.

When the paper is located on the shrouds 2 the lever of a micro-switch (not shown) which protrudes through a slot in one of the shrouds is depressed by the overlying paper and the switch is operative to electrically couple the solenoid with the control on the copier for setting a specified number of copies to be made of a sheet so that the solenoid valve will not operate to allow paper feed until the set number of copies of a particular sheet have been made.

In a sequence for making single copies of each frame of a fan-fold of computer paper, the paper is located across the photo copier and engaged on the drive sprockets 16 of the feeder device as described above. The copier is then operated and as the photo scanner of the copier begins its return stroke, the solenoid valve 21 is actuated to withdraw its plunger inwardly (see FIG. 12) and thereby pulls pawl 33 out of engagement with the drive wheel 13, simultaneously the idler wheel 18, which is in constant mesh with drive gear 19, engages the drive wheel and the gear wheel 12 of the feed control wheel assembly. The drive shaft and the feed control assembly are thereby caused to rotate so rotating the sprockets 16 thus pulling the paper to be copied across the platen glass of the copier. Rotation of the sprockets 16 is terminated when the spigot 31 on the feed control disc contacts the pin 34 as the gear wheel 12 on a common hub with the control disc and the drive wheel 30 are commonly in mesh with the continuously driven idler wheel 18.

At the time when rotation of the drive shaft 5 is stopped by the contact of spigot 31 against pin 34, the solenoid is de-energized and its plunger is withdrawn from the body of the solenoid by spring 39 so that the pawl 33 engages the drive wheel 30 which the idler wheel 18 is unmeshed from both drive wheel 30 and gear wheel 12. As the idler 18 and gear wheel 12 unmesh the spiral spring 14 returns the control disc and wheel 12 to their initial position where spigot 31 contacts stop 32 affixed to the feeder frame.

Once the sprockets and drive shaft 5 are stopped by engagement of the pawl with drive wheel 30, the photo scanning operation of the copier commences and the above described sequence commences upon the return stroke of the scanner.

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. Apparatus for sequentially feeding paper or the like across the platen glass of a photo copier comprising a housing, drive motor means wherein the output drive of said motor means is coupled via a gearbox arrangement to a drive shaft, drive sprocket means on said drive shaft for engaging perforations in said paper such that when said drive shaft and sprocket means rotate the apparatus feeds the paper to be copied if the perforations in said paper are located on the sprocket means, actuator means in said gearbox to engage the output drive of said motor means with the drive shaft when a present number of copies of a section of the paper have been made by said photo copier whereupon said sprocket means transports a present length of paper across the platen glass and then said motor output drive disengages from the drive shaft thereby operating the photo copier.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a paper feed tray and a paper dispensing tray.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive sprocket means comprise two sprocket wheels, each within a shroud and having teeth protruding from a slot in their respective shrouds further comprising a slotted paper retaining plate on each shroud for holding the paper down on the sprockets during transport of said paper.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the actuator means comprises a solenoid valve automatically energized by a copy number selector on the photo copier when the present number of copies of a sheet have been made such that the plunger of the solenoid valve is operative to engage an idler gear with a gear sprocket on said drive shaft, said idler gear being in continuous mesh with a gear on the output drive of said motor means and which motor means is constantly running when the apparatus is switched on, further comprising spring bias means to disengage said idler gear from the gear sprocket on the drive shaft when the present length of paper has been transported by the drive sprocket means.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein energizing of the solenoid valve simultaneously disengages a pawl from the gear sprocket of the drive shaft to allow the motor means to rotate the drive shaft via the output drive gear, idler gear and gear sprocket on the drive shaft and further wherein said spring bias means simultaneously re-engages said pawl on the gear sprocket when disengaging the idler gear from the gear sprocket. 

1. Apparatus for sequentially feeding paper or the like across the platen glass of a photo copier comprising a housing, drive motor means wherein the output drive of said motor means is coupled via a gearbox arrangement to a drive shaft, drive sprocket means on said drive shaft for engaging perforations in said paper such that when said drive shaft and sprocket means rotate the apparatus feeds the paper to be copied if the perforations in said paper are located on the sprocket means, actuator means in said gearbox to engage the output drive of said motor means with the drive shaft when a present number of copies of a section of the paper have been made by said photo copier whereupon said sprocket means transports a present length of paper across the platen glass and then said motor output drive disengages from the drive shaft thereby operating the photo copier.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a paper feed tray and a paper dispensing tray.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the drive sprocket means comprise two sprockEt wheels, each within a shroud and having teeth protruding from a slot in their respective shrouds further comprising a slotted paper retaining plate on each shroud for holding the paper down on the sprockets during transport of said paper.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the actuator means comprises a solenoid valve automatically energized by a copy number selector on the photo copier when the present number of copies of a sheet have been made such that the plunger of the solenoid valve is operative to engage an idler gear with a gear sprocket on said drive shaft, said idler gear being in continuous mesh with a gear on the output drive of said motor means and which motor means is constantly running when the apparatus is switched on, further comprising spring bias means to disengage said idler gear from the gear sprocket on the drive shaft when the present length of paper has been transported by the drive sprocket means.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein energizing of the solenoid valve simultaneously disengages a pawl from the gear sprocket of the drive shaft to allow the motor means to rotate the drive shaft via the output drive gear, idler gear and gear sprocket on the drive shaft and further wherein said spring bias means simultaneously re-engages said pawl on the gear sprocket when disengaging the idler gear from the gear sprocket. 